Our Astounding God

Our Astounding God

Thank you, Lord God–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–for your persistence and faithfulness: you remain rock-solidly the same no matter what happens. Your character, your values, your actions, your grace all continue on the same powerful and positive path, uninfluenced, untouched, unswayed by what any of your creatures do.

You are never taken by surprise, you always have a solution and you always follow through. As king David wrote in Psalm 18, “You reached down from on high, you took hold of me and drew me out of deep waters. You rescued me from my powerful enemies, my foes who were too strong for me. They confronted me on the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. You brought me out into a spacious place; you rescued me because you delighted in me.”

When you make up your mind, Lord, you will do it, no matter what the effort, no matter what the cost will be.  With king David, you moved powerfully to spare him from Saul. With us, you left the comforts of heaven, came down to live on the sin-twisted earth among unwashed and unclean people who ended up torturing and killing you. Why? To redeem all and save those who are willing to accept your offered forgiveness and eternal life by surrendering to you.

Truly you have brought us out into a spacious place, filled with grace and goodness, strength and transformation, love and provision. And why do you do this? Because you delight in making your enemies your children. You love to take your foes and bring them into your Kingdom as partners in your great plan to end time, eliminate evil and bring in a new heaven and earth.

All this shows again what a good God you are: how gracious, kind and forgiving. It shows what a wise God you are, able to be both just and merciful at the same time. It shows what a persistent God you are, following through on your commitment to send a Savior. It shows what a loving God you are, sending your Spirit to convict the whole world of guilt, even though you know that all will not respond and believe. It shows what a faithful God you are, following through on your promises, always.

It is such a powerful privilege to be your child, to live in your love, to experience your patient forgiveness every day, to join you in your great plan. May I live today in a way worthy of you, bringing you honor before all those I will meet and see.